Esports Nations Cup 2026 Announces Dota 2 Invites

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (June 9, 2026) - The Esports Foundation (EF) today confirmed the official invites to the Dota 2 tournament at the Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC), the global nation-based esports competition set to debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from November 2-29, 2026.

The Dota 2 tournament at ENC 2026 will consist of 32 teams: the 16 teams receiving a direct invite through the ENC Rankings, 14 teams through online regional qualifiers, and 2 through Wildcard slots. Online regional qualifiers will be held June 29-July 2, across eight regions: North America, South America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, MENA + Central Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, South + East Asia, and Southeast Asia + Oceania. The final two Wildcard slots are reserved for the highest-performing host region representative and a Solidarity slot that will give underrepresented nations a path to compete.

The 16 directly invited rosters are:

1. CHINA - Ame, Xm, XXs, fy, y`, and XinQ (S)
2. KAZAKHSTAN - watson, Malady, Malik, daze, Samat1, xsvampire (S), and TA2000 (S)
3. MALAYSIA - Ghost, NothingToSay, Ws, zeal, xNOva, MidOne (S), and Chucky (S)
4. DENMARK - 1striker, Cy-, Ace, MISERY, N0tail, Cr1t- (S), and Ivz (S)
5. SWEDEN - miCKe, Insania, Boxi, Xibbe, charlie, Pablo (S), and Gorgc (S)
6. UNITED STATES - SumaiL, Quinn, Fayde, Speeed, Sneyking, Yamsun (S), and Gunnar (S)
7. INDONESIA - Jikroy, dalul, Fbz, Mikoto, Whitemon, Pota2 (S), and Jhocam (S)
8. GERMANY - Yuma, Stormstormer, Qojqva, tOfu, rmN-, Copy (S), and jmn (S)
9. JORDAN - ATF, Valyrian, islA, AfrOmoush, Nagato, Joeel (S), and Kemps (S)
10. BULGARIA - Nikobaby, bzm, lil pleb, Mastermind, FAILETZ, Evidence (S), and CTOMAHEH1 (S)
11. NORTH MACEDONIA - Zipzap, Stojkov, GodKid-, Saksa, H8, and Kralot_bulo (S)
12. UKRAINE - kreker, QBFY, pma, Niku, gotthejuice, Akamu (S), and OnLiTaL (S)
13. NETHERLANDS - Crystallis, Shad, Seleri, Crayon, Boerenyoghurt, Myron (S), and Wayne (S)
14. REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA - rubikon155, Chief_Keef, Tony_who, Save-, Spacewalker, Requiem (S), and Shovel (S)
15. POLAND - Nisha, Steq, Exotic_Deer, Ekki, Eejit, Fey (S), and Dave (S)
16. BRAZIL - Costabile, 4analog, Lelis, Thiolicor, KJ, fcr (S), and 4dr (S)

The combination of Xtreme Gaming and Vici Gaming’s roster cores has given the People’s Republic of China the highest ranking of the invited teams, and thus the highest expectations to win gold at ENC this November. Sitting just a few points behind them is the team representing Kazakhstan, who rocketed all the way up to the second spot this past weekend because of Team Yandex duo watson and Malady’s victory at BLAST SLAM VIII. Last weekend was also crucial for Brazil, who just narrowly secured a spot over the roster of Czech Republic thanks to LGD Gaming reaching the BLAST final with Brazilian duo Thiolicor and KJ.

In the qualifiers, the Americas will be the region most worth watching. In North America, a star-studded Canadian team featuring the legendary Arteezy, three-time TI winner (twice as a coach, once as a player) Aui_2000, and multi-time Major winner Fly are a clear favorite to qualify. Down in South America, Peru is seeking to claim one of two spots in their qualifier, and add to their rich Dota 2 history on the shoulders of PlayTime trio Scofield, Wits, and DarkMago, as well as LGD Gaming rising star TaiLung.

All 32 teams will compete at the Dota 2 tournament at ENC 2026 beginning on November 2 and concluding with the playoff final on November 8. The first stage will consist of all 32 teams competing in a round-robin group stage, featuring four groups of eight teams. The top four teams from each group, 16 total, advance to a single-elimination playoff bracket. All playoff series, excluding the grand final, will be best-of-three, while the championship will be decided in a best-of-five grand final.

About the Esports Nations Cup

The Esports Nations Cup (ENC) is a biennial global esports competition created by the Esports Foundation (EF) that brings national pride to the world stage. Launching in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2026, the ENC will feature the world’s best players competing not for their clubs, but for their countries and territories, across a lineup of leading esports titles. Built in collaboration with game partners, clubs, and esports organizations, the ENC establishes the first recurring, large-scale platform for national teams in esports. Beyond competition, it aims to fuel fandom, inspire heroes, and provide sustainable pathways for nations, players, and partners to grow within the global esports ecosystem. esportsnationscup.com

Esports Nations Cup media contact:
[email protected]